“CDW Presents”

This month, east London’s design hub will reveal a new series of collaborations for the ninth edition of Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) commissioned public installations, offering a fresh insight into design and materials. Integral to the festival’s unique structure, the CDW Presents programme offers an insight into temporary architecture, materials and use of public spaces.

CDW are proud to present an installation created by Kinetech Design in collaboration with Amari Interiors for one of Clerkenwell’s most renowned sites; the Arch of St John. St John’s Gate saw the

first performances of some of Shakespeare’s most famous works, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth. Kinetech Design have drawn on the history of the arch and showcase their strong kiri-origami structure evoking an Elizabethan ruff.

A number of leading practices such as TDO Architecture have been commissioned to create wayfinding sculptures in polystyrene that will be situated around Clerkenwell during the week. Bakers Patterns, who specialise in polystyrene model making and manufacturing, will produce the sculptures. Creative Director of CDW Max Fraser says,

“Polystyrene is considered one of the ‘bad’ materials of our time as it can’t be recycled through regular municipal recycling schemes. However, if the material is sent back to the manufacturer, it is 100 per cent recyclable (98 per cent of it is air). So we are commissioning these ‘beacons’ at CDW with their end-of life destination fully diverted from landfill.”

Studio DA, a new practice formed by Russian For Fish and Pierre d’Avoine Architects to work on special projects will also be involved in the project and their sculpture will be based upon Clerkenwell’s famous ghost story. In 1762 a landlord claimed his house and his daughter was haunted by a ghost and regular séances were held in the crypt of St John’s to determine whether this was true (it wasn’t).

Hakwood, a global leader in the design and manufacture of quality wood flooring and wall tiles returns to CDW in collaboration with Shape London to reveal the interactive installation ‘Behind Closed Doors’ located at the entrance to Spa Fields. Shape London will design a 3.2 metre high pop up street scene of Dutch town houses decorated with Hakwood Wall Tiles.

Each house will have a small door revealing a series of miniature interiors designed by various architects from Shape’s Dragon Fly Place. The hidden rooms will be placed at various heights to invite visitors to interact with the installation and ‘discover’ all the rooms, which contain Hakwood flooring.

For the third consecutive year, Scale Rule will present the ‘Next Generation Design Pavilion’ in the Garden of St James. The pavilion aims to inspire a younger generation interested in the construction-related professions and is a result of a series of educational workshops, bringing GCSE students together from across London.
The winning concept for 2018 responded to the theme of sustainability by proposing a metaphor: layers representing past, present and future through a kaleidoscopic oculus, inviting visitors to take a moment to direct their eyes up and become more aware of key natural elements around them.

Elements at CDW, brings together a leading selection of ironmongery, hardware, switch plates and architectural accessories. New for 2018, the exhibition will take place within a street-market style pavilion on St John’s Square, becoming a go-to destination for designers looking for the perfect finish.

For CDW, British light switch company, Forbes & Lomax will be introducing the Aged Brass light switch to the existing Invisible range. The new collection with an antique aesthetic has been left unlacquered which patinates even more over time. The House of Eroju is an Ironmongery design company launching a range of new door handles and introducing their latest Marble and Bronze range. Other exhibitors include Tirar, Carsson International, Harbrine and The Chelsea Hardware Company.